Taunton officials say rail line will be boon for the city

Taunton Mayor Thomas Hoye Jr. and the city’s economic development director celebrated the state’s adoption of the Stoughton Alternative for the proposed South Coast Rail on Monday.Hoye said that the proposed South Coast Rail would bring an important boost to economic development in Taunton, making th...

Taunton Mayor Thomas Hoye Jr. and the city’s economic development director celebrated the state’s adoption of the Stoughton Alternative for the proposed South Coast Rail on Monday.

Hoye said that the proposed South Coast Rail would bring an important boost to economic development in Taunton, making the city more attractive to new residents, providing construction work and spurring the housing market.

Hoye applauded Gov. Deval Patrick, MassDOT Secretary Richard Davey and area legislators for “their tenacity” in pursuing the South Coast Rail, which was given a $1.8 billion price tag in the state transportation released in January this year. On Monday, Patrick said his administration is pushing ahead with the Stoughton route, which would bring the commuter train through Taunton, Fall River and New Bedford, after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a final environmental review that called the Stoughton route the least environmentally damaging option.

Other alternatives that were examined included an existing route through Attleboro, and a rapid bus system.

For Southeastern Massachusetts, the train to Boston is something residents have been lacking for over 50 years, Hoye said, referring to the days when trains used to stop in Taunton.

As part of the plans for the Stoughton route, Hoye said that commuter stations would be built at the corner of Dean and Arlington streets and behind Target off Route 140 in Taunton. Hoye said the Dean and Arlington streets site is a brownfields site, which is polluted former industrial site, meaning it desperately needs the revitalization a new station could bring.

“I think it’ll provide us the opportunity to develop some of the areas around the stations, around our transit-oriented districts,” Hoye said. “It’s going to have potential to give the housing market in Taunton a boost, certainly with the rental market. It’s going to give our residents access, whether it’s for employment, for medical or pleasure, in and out of the city of Boston.”

The project, however, still faces major political and financial hurdles. Hoye admitted that finding funding for the project will be “a monumental task,” saying that “there is always going to be naysayers on any project.” But the mayor said he is confident that it can and should be done.

State Sen. Marc Pacheco, D-Taunton, a longtime advocate for the commuter rail coming to the Silver City, said that he is now calling on Patrick to move forward “expeditiously” to tie up contracts related to the South Coast Rail projects so that “it will actually receive the funding it deserves.”

Pacheco said he could not put a date on when he thinks the expanded commuter line would be up and running.

Page 2 of 2 - He said he envisions new housing downtown as a result of the commuter rail, along with new retail stores that would come with it. He said a lot of people would come down from Boston, as well, for trips, sightseeing and historical tours. Pacheco also mentioned that the new stations could compliment a potential tribal casino located near the station planned behind Target, and that the line could help stimulate business at the potential new slot parlor in Raynham.

One local elected official who remains incredulous about the South Coast Rail is Joseph Pacheco, chairman of the Raynham Board of Selectman, who said, “One question remains. How do they pay for it?” He said Patrick and supporters of the rail project have been unable to demonstrate how they will pay for the project.

“Unless and until they show an avenue where they are going to pay for it … it doesn’t matter what route they pick,” Joseph Pacheco said, adding that the Massachusetts Bay

Transportation Authority is “one of the worst run agencies in the state” and it does not deserve additional expansion.

Sen. Pacheco, who is unrelated to the Raynham selectman, said on that point, it’s not certain the MBTA will run the outlying lines that make up the South Coast Rail. Pacheco also said the investment in the rail will produce greater returns in economic development.

Another elected official weighing in on the South Coast Rail news on Monday was Congressman Joe Kennedy, a Brookline Democrat, who said the Stoughton line could help “stubborn” unemployment rates in Southeastern Massachusetts. He said the project would “provide a critical infrastructure link that will drive economic development” in the region.

Kevin Shea, executive director of Taunton’s Office of Economic and Community Development, simply said that the commuter rail line coming to Taunton would have a “huge” impact. Shea also said that he believes that a rail station in downtown Taunton would generate housing development nearby, like it did near a train station in the center of Mansfield.

“I think in the short term you’ll see some impact, but over time it’ll have the most impact,” Shea said. “Overall, it opens up the region quite a bit. It gives a lot of mobility to people in terms of workplaces. It opens up whole city and region to people who aren’t familiar with it. Ultimately, over time, it’ll be a boost to job creation in the city. That’s the bottom line.”